


French distraction

by EliaAlice



Category: Person of Interest (TV)
Genre: F/F, Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-12-17
Updated: 2014-12-17
Packaged: 2018-03-01 20:42:06
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 13,906
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2787050
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/EliaAlice/pseuds/EliaAlice
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>
  <i>"My new identity is rather high-profile. And needs a private jet to France. You'll travel with me as my assistant – do not look at me like that, it's the best She could come up with. It was assistant, or hiding in a suitcase."</i>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>Post-4x09.</p>
            </blockquote>





	French distraction

**Author's Note:**

  * For [shaws_apprentice](https://archiveofourown.org/users/shaws_apprentice/gifts).



> Written for the Kiss Kiss To You Too fic exchange ! Merry Christmas to you shaws_apprentice !
> 
> The prompt was : "Root and Shaw go on a mission together for the Machine. (like they have a number to work together in New York, or something international like a relevant number) Could be a bit angsty, but there are sweet moments too, well as sweet as these two can get. Make sure Root buys/or makes Shaw something to eat. Those moments when Root and Shaw are really close to each others mouths are fun too."
> 
> It turned out a bit more angsty and M-rated than expected, sorry... Blame these two idiots... But hope you'll enjoy !
> 
> Also, huge thanks to Hala my wonderful beta-reader !

Shaw was pacing up and down in the abandoned subway station, looking very much like a caged lion. She had been like that for the whole past week, restless and irritable, snapping at the rest of the team more and more often and for more and more meaningless details. It was starting to get to Root too ; she couldn't bear the sight anymore and it kept having her distracted, up to the point where she decided to do something about it before Shaw got reckless and got them all killed.

"We have to get her _something_ to do", Root said quietly so that her voice wouldn't reach Shaw on the other side of the glass, and Harold turned to look at her.

"We already did, Ms Groves", he answered, puzzled.

Root scoffed.

"Yeah, handling the computer side of things is not really an _occupation_ for her, Harry, barely a part-time distraction, and it's clearly not enough. She needs some action before she does something stupid."

"What are you suggesting exactly ?" Finch frowned, obviously concerned.

"I asked Her", Root answered, looking away. "There's a relevant number we can work. In France. I think it's something tied up to Samaritan, but since She can't say more than a few words I don't know more." She paused, a sad smile lingering on her lips. "Anyway, She can arrange for my new identity to be high-profile enough to allow us to travel via a private jet, in a small airport where we can avoid cameras."

"This is a totally unnecessary risk !" Harold exclaimed, before lowering his voice in order not to attract Shaw's attention. "You could get yourselves killed."

"Not if we plan this correctly."

Silence settled for a while, both of them watching Shaw on the other side of the glass. She had started hitting a punching bag that John had purchased for her by way of support, and the rage in her moves was barely contained.

"You already made up your mind, didn't you ?" Harold finally asked.

Root slightly shook her head, her eyes never leaving Shaw, as if mesmerized by her – which was probably the case, Finch realized.

"I'm not letting her get back in the streets out of frustration and get herself killed, Harold." Root's voice was steady, but Finch could read right through it. He could detect the worry and the despair he knew to be here, and he knew nothing he could say would change anything. He finally turned to look at Root and offered her a tight smile.

"Then I'll help in any way I can."

"Thanks", she answered, so low that it hardly reached his ears. Her smile was genuine, he noticed, but it never reached her eyes.

* * *

 

"Shaw ?"

" _What ?_ " the latter growled without turning around, her fists and feet only hitting the punching bag harder in anger.

The soldier in her knew that Root had made the right call by stopping her the other day, before she got them all killed. She didn't know why she had reacted like a spoilt child, really, and it didn't sit well with her. But Root had also betrayed her trust and that, _that_ was something that she wasn't going to forget anytime soon.

"We have a new number", the hacker answered, and Shaw could detect a hidden smile in her voice. As if there was something to smile for.

"Great. More computer lessons to look forward to", she almost hissed. And she knew she was being unfair, really, because it wasn't Harold's fault, it wasn't Root's fault either, it couldn't be anyone else's than _hers_ and yet no matter how hard she thought about it, she couldn't find when or where she had screwed up and _that_ disturbed her a lot more than she was willing to admit.

"Not exactly", Root said quietly, and this time her small smile fully seeped into her voice, which was enough for Shaw to get curious about it and turn around.

"What do you mean ?" she frowned, trying not to get her hopes up.

"Wanna steal a jet ?" Root asked then, and did her best to sound as playful as she could. She didn't dare to push though, all too aware of the fact that she was going to be walking a fine line with Shaw for quite a while after her betrayal of the other day.

"If it's a joke, Root, you're gonna pay for it", Sameen let out through gritted teeth.

The hacker turned suddenly serious as she repeated to Shaw what she had said to Harold earlier.

"She has a relevant number for us in France. And I could use your help."

"A relevant number ? I thought the Machine wasn't taking care of these anymore."

"She doesn't _send_ them to the government anymore, it doesn't mean She's stopped _seeing_ them. This one is Samaritan-related, apparently. I don't know much more."

"Okay", Shaw slowly processed, "and how are we going to steal a jet exactly, since I'm not supposed to move my ass from this fucking place ?"

"Well, we might not technically _steal_ a jet, I'll give you that, but otherwise… My new identity is rather high-profile. And needs a private jet to France. You'll travel with me as my assistant – do not look at me like that, it's the best She could come up with. It was assistant, or hiding in a suitcase. We'll use a private airport with very dubious camera feeds… Now we just have to get there. And, well, the tinted windows of my luxurious company car should do the trick."

Shaw's mind was analyzing the situation quickly. She was already running high on adrenaline after her good workout but what Root had just promised had pumped another dose into her system. Anything else than being stuck here learning to be a lame-ass hacker – she was going to take it. But she wasn't blind either, and she could see the risks. The drive to the airport, Root using a high-profile identity that could turn out to have a lot more flaws than her usual ones, and all of this for…

"Why are you doing this ?" The words came out of her mouth before she could hold them back, and the only answer she got was a small shrug. Shaw narrowed her eyes then, as the implications washed over her. This had been set up for her and solely for her. As a result, Root had a higher probability than usual of being discovered, thus putting another member of their already small team at risk. "I'm not doing this", she simply stated once she had realized all of this.

"Then what ?" Root's voice was soft. "You snap and are the one to go kamikaze against Samaritan this time ?" Shaw's absence of answer was telling. "Well that's not happening, Sameen." The unspoken 'not under my watch' lingered between them for a second before Root went on. "This number is Samaritan-related. I'm going, with or without you." She smiled then, and to Shaw it looked a lot as if Root was trying to put some weight off of the whole situation – the unspoken stuff as well as her real words. "But I'd feel a lot safer with you by my side, in case I need someone to protect me." Root tried to emphasize this with a wink but just like all her previous attempts at one, she failed miserably and blinked instead.

_'I'm not your white knight'_ , Shaw thought, and she reacted just in time to forbid the words from crossing the line of her mouth. Horrified at her own reaction, she hid behind an eye roll and a sigh, both of them having, same as usual, absolutely no effect on the hacker.

"I'll take this as a yes. Give me two minutes to get dressed properly, and then I'm all yours." Root's voice had dropped, filling with innuendo again, and Shaw couldn't help but notice the small shiver that ran down her spine at this. She realized then that she was letting Root get under her skin again as if nothing had happened.

She had more or less stopped reacting to the flirtatious comments lately. It was something the hacker had very well noticed, which probably explained why she had moved on to physical contacts – seriously though, _why_ wasn't Shaw shrugging off each and every one of Root's attempts at invading her privacy with her sneaky hands, now _that_ was a _very_ good question. But Root had also betrayed her trust by setting up a trap to drug her, so she should have been a lot more wary by now – and she was – but that damn woman still had the same power over her. Which was really unsettling. And the worst part, the one she would never admit even under torture, was that she wasn't so sure she actually minded all that much.

Shaw got snapped out of her thoughts when the hacker was about to disappear into the old carriage, where Finch had installed a great part of his computer equipment, as her mind processed Root's latest sentence.

"Wait, you mean we're going _now_ ?"

Root turned her head to look at Shaw over her shoulder, smirking and raising her eyebrows suggestively before she stepped into the carriage.

* * *

 

"You had planned everything before you even got here, didn't you, Ms Groves ?"

It didn't sound like a reproach, more like a statement, and Root noticed that Finch was getting more and more comfortable with her way of doing things lately.

"You know as well as I do that if I hadn't, she would have been long gone by the time I got back here."

Harold didn't find anything to answer.

* * *

 

They sat in silence during the drive to the airport. The tension was palpable in the car as they expected some incident but fortunately, they made it uneventfully. Boarding their flight was a matter of minutes, and they only allowed themselves to relax once they were comfortably seated in the luxurious armchairs of the jet, on opposite sides of a wooden table screwed onto the floor. The silence went on until they took off though – Sameen kept scowling, and for once Root didn't really know what to say.

This mission really didn't sit well with Shaw. She didn't like the risks that they were taking, liked even less the fact that it would keep them away from New York where the real battle was happening for an unknown period of time, and the reasons why this mission existed in the first place were something she certainly didn't want to dwell on. Once more, she noticed how much people's emotions could cloud their judgment and lead them to do some stupid stuff – she conveniently decided to forget about her own reactions after her cover had been blown, because after all _she didn't do feelings_. But now that they were on this jet there was no coming back and she briefly wondered how Root had managed to drag her here in the first place – she kind of knew the answer though and carefully put the thought aside. Anyway, there was no reason why she shouldn't enjoy herself now.

"Is there at least something to _eat_ on this plane ?" she asked, trying her best not to make this question look like a complaint.

"Well, you just have to ask, Shaw", Root purred, her usual unnerving smirk spreading on her face in an instant. She pressed on a button of the remote control built in her seat – Shaw had the same in hers but hadn't noticed it until now – and the door of some furniture on the other side of the jet slid to the side, revealing…

"Is that a –"

"Want some steak ?" Root asked, trying her best to hide the smirk on her face. Shaw's face had indeed lit up in a second, which was exactly the reaction the hacker had hoped to elicit.

Unable to hold back a chuckle at just how hungry Shaw now looked though, Root got up and went to retrieve a tray. When she put it down on the table, Shaw immediately snatched the knife and stuck it into the steak, lifting it to bite a mouthful without a word.

It took her a few more seconds to realize that, unlike the hacker and her salad – Shaw scoffed inwardly at this : how could Root be happy and get enough energy by eating a simple _salad_ ? –, there was no fork on her side of the tray.

The hacker had apparently followed her gaze – which didn't surprise Shaw the least bit, since Root seemed to _always_ have her eyes glued to some part of her body anyway – because the unspoken question got an answer.

"I heard you prefer to eat it that way. Turns out it's true", Root simply stated, and Shaw narrowed her eyes at the hacker's fond smile. She just shrugged then, considering eating was way more interesting than dignifying Root's explanation with an answer. She also did her best to ignore the other woman's eyes boring into her during the whole meal, but it was still tensing her up – as usual.

Eventually, it ran on her nerves too much and Shaw proceeded to explore the jet while finishing her steak, adding mental notes every time she noticed something that could be turned into a weapon if necessary. She never fully turned her back to Root, the betrayal still fresh in her memory. For all she knew, this could well be another trap and they could be headed to some unknown place where the hacker would lock her up _'for her own safety'_ , she mentally mimicked Root's voice.

Once she had finished her inspection, she carelessly threw the knife back on the tray, her aim as steady and precise as always. Root, who was finishing her salad, didn't even blink – much to Shaw's exasperation. She slouched down on a small sofa then, groaning slightly, and deliberately fixated her gaze to some vague point outside the plane, in the clouds surrounding them.

A few minutes later, from the corner of her eye she saw Root get up and come closer, not making any effort to be discreet. The hacker waited until Sameen cast a glance at her, acknowledging her presence, before coming to sit next to her. She had seen the way Shaw kept watching her carefully, as if she expected Root to betray her again at any moment – Root couldn't blame her, really, but it hurt all the same – and she knew better than to try and sneak up on Shaw under these circumstances. She would appreciate to arrive in France in one piece.

Shaw breathed in slowly to help her stay calm as Root sat impossibly close to her but kept her mouth shut, hoping to avoid having some innuendo thrown her way. It worked, for some time, as the hacker just stared into the distance wordlessly. Shaw kept on looking obstinately through the window, not displaying any reaction to her presence.

Root knew she was playing with fire, but she couldn't help herself. She had to know just how much of a step back in their (weird, kind of) relationship the drugging had induced. She missed the contact of Shaw's skin already. It acted on her like a drug, an incredibly addictive one, and no matter how much of it she got, she always needed _more_. At some point, Root couldn't bear it anymore – having Shaw so close and not touching her. She turned her shoulders slightly and leant forward, trying to see through the window.

"What's so interesting out there ?" she asked innocently.

Shaw felt her hands closing into fists by themselves at the invasion of her space, but she managed to control herself. Root must have taken it as a positive sign though, because soon there was a hand creeping on Sameen's thigh. _That_ made her snap instinctively.

"Get off me", she hissed through gritted teeth, the threat obvious in her voice, angriness taking over annoyance. All her muscles tightened suddenly, as if preparing for a fight.

Root leant back immediately, as if she had been burnt. It took her a few seconds to put an air of composure back on her face as she stubbornly denied to her eyes the right to water. She knew she had been pushing after all, but she found out she had a hard time handling well such a rough rejection all the same.

"You should try and get some sleep", she finally spoke softly. "The fly is going to be long."

"Not a chance", Root heard Shaw mutter and she got up, settling on another couch and curling up in hope that she could doze off a bit herself. Through half-lidded eyes, she could see Sameen's small form that hadn't moved an inch and her breath caught in her throat at just how gorgeous and now inaccessible the other woman was. She tightened the blanket around her, hoping it would bring her some warmth, but the cold in her chest was too powerful for that.

Shaw had forced herself to relax when the hacker had moved away from her. The spot where Root's hand had crept on her thigh now pulsed with a feeling of burning and she hated it, hated that she was unable to stay indifferent to the other woman's touch, hated that a great part of her wished Root's hand had gone _higher_. Shaw wanted to forget it all ; the nights they had shared, the way she didn't have it in her to be really annoyed at Root's flirtation anymore, but she had no control over this and she really _hated_ that. She was torn between that pull she felt towards the hacker and the hard desire never to be close to Root again, to escape these… These _things_ she felt – Shaw would never dare call them feelings – and she even had some good reasons for that, between the constant invasions of her boundaries and the drugging of the week before… Yet even if she was reacting so dryly, deep inside she knew there was no way she would go as far as pushing Root away for good. Her body was on defense mode because she was wary of another betrayal, but her mind _wanted the hacker back_ – something she would never _ever_ admit to anyone, ever under torture –, wanted to mark Root's skin with her nails and teeth again…

This trip to France was not going to end up well, Shaw thought as she slammed her head back again the couch, regretting that it was way too soft to give any sensation of pain. Root startled slightly at the sudden movement, but Shaw chose to ignore it. At the thought of what was awaiting her, spending several days stuck with Root in a foreign country with no escape route, she almost regretted the boredom of the subway station.

She forced herself to stay awake during the whole flight, refusing to acknowledge the fact that Root would have plenty of time to tase her or drug her again once they were in France if that was her plan, since Shaw would be forced to sleep at some point. When they landed, her muscles were numb from the motionlessness – she hadn't moved from the couch during the ten hours of flight, only shifted from time to time when she became really too uncomfortable – and given the look on Root's face, the hacker hadn't slept either.

They got out of the jet in the early hours of the morning of Paris, mouths still tight shut. It stayed that way until the taxi left them in front of their hotel. Root cast a glance at Shaw for what felt like the thousandth time since they had gotten out of the plane, and found her features as cold as all the other times. She repressed a sigh and forced herself to keep a blank face, hiding her exhaustion and hurt deep inside to concentrate on their mission as she stepped inside the hotel.

It was going to be a long day.

* * *

 

As she entered their room, Shaw noticed the double bed and repressed a groan. The floor or the bathtub would be fine with her anyway. She turned to look at Root who looked paler and more tired than Sameen had ever seen her.

"So, what is our mission exactly ?" she finally asked, chastising herself for not asking sooner.

She really hated how much the hacker managed to make her act unlike herself.

"His name is François Lavaudan. He works as a low-level IT tech at the Elysée – it's the residence of the president of France – and he's a relevant number. Something related to Samaritan, apparently. And, before you ask : yes, it's all I know. I'm going to do some digging, I haven't had the time yet", Root said as she started to set up her equipment.

"And what am _I_ supposed to do ?"

Root sighed.

"The same thing you should have done in the jet : _sleep_. You can't help me right now. Lock yourself in the bathroom if it makes you feel better."

Her last words had been bitter and she knew it, but they had escaped before she could force them never to leave her mouth. Biting her lower lip at her own silliness, she concentrated on plugging her computers in, turning her back to Sameen so that the other woman wouldn't see her hands shaking slightly. She was waiting for an angry or cold retort that didn't seem to come.

Shaw considered actually sleeping in the bathtub with the door locked and her gun in her hand for a second, before deciding against it. She couldn't keep acting as if Root was going to tase her at any moment forever. Besides, she was sure the hacker could pick the lock just fine.

Calling herself an idiot for agreeing to come in the first place and blaming it on her forced confinement in the subway station, Shaw realized she would have no choice but to trust Root during their time in France, and she hated that. Looking at the hacker, she took in the sight of her hunched shoulders, her moves slowed down by the exhaustion, her slightly trembling hands that she seemed to be trying to hide, and wondered how long it had been since Root had slept for the last time.

"The floor will do just fine", Shaw said in a quite neutral voice, her tone had losing the hard edge it had had since they had entered the room. She needed Root to get back to being herself for the sake of this mission. The sad, broke woman that the hacker had turned into when they were in the jet was an aspect of her that Sameen was seeing for the third time only – the first time, she had just put a bullet in Root's shoulder ; the second time had been only a few weeks before, when they were working the governor case – and that really didn't sit well with her. More importantly, there was no time for feelings when they were on a relevant mission, Shaw knew that well.

It took Root a few seconds to hide her surprise before she turned around, and there was a small genuine smile that she didn't have to force creeping onto her features.

"I won't be using the bed, you can take it."

"I prefer harder surfaces", Shaw simply shrugged, and she could feel the change in the atmosphere of the room as she said these words. Just like that, the events of the plane were put behind them.

"Suit yourself", Root said, her smile growing wider as she got back to setting up her equipment, feeling a lot better and lighter than only a few moments earlier. She focused on the task at hand, powering up several laptops and beginning to hack into some French databases as Shaw settled on the ground next to the bed, using her bag as a pillow.

* * *

 

Root was empty-handed when Shaw woke up by herself four hours later. She had found nothing that would explain why Mr Lavaudan was a relevant number. The researches had taken her longer than expected, her French being rustier than she would have thought. She was now trying to find out if he wasn't living a double life, but her lack of experience with the way several French databases worked didn't help. She could also feel the exhaustion nibbling at her mind, slowing down her ability to think properly.

"Sleep."

Root startled – she hadn't realized the other woman was awake. Sighing, she turned around and saw that Shaw had propped herself up on one elbow, looking at her carefully. Given her tone it wasn't supposed to be open for discussion, yet Root refused.

"I'm not done yet."

"I don't care. You're of no good in this state – your eyes are barely staying open. You'll be way more productive after you've gotten some sleep, you can't deny that. So now", Shaw sighed, knowing she was throwing Root a line for some innuendo, "get in that bed."

"Always eager to have me where you want, I see", Root said, managing to pull a slight smirk despite how numb her whole body felt, but it sounded weak and they both knew it.

Shaw rolled her eyes and didn't answer, only looking at the hacker insistently.

"Fine", Root sighed eventually as she got up. "I haven't found anything interesting yet anyway."

"How about his address ?"

"Why ?" Root frowned, the need for sleep preventing her from analyzing Shaw's answers as fast as usual.

"Because if your little computer magic can't help us, maybe some good old recon will, dumbass. It's Sunday, I bet he'll be home. Anyway, it will give me something useful to do because I'm sure as hell not going to watch you sleep."

Root sighed and grabbed her phone. She knew Shaw was right, that they had no time to waste, but she couldn't help it : she didn't like the idea of Sameen going out on her own. She didn't dare say it though, knowing what the answer would be. Shaw was an ex-ISA operative, she knew better than her how to handle a relevant number – but Root was also worried she might have underestimated Samaritan's threat, suddenly wondering if they had found the modified server that matched Shaw by now, or if operatives all around the world had Shaw's picture with her designated as a priority target, or if… She forced her train of thoughts to stop there. It was too late to ask herself these questions anyway, and she decided to put her trust in Her once more : if she had helped Root plan this, it was because _it was safe_ – well, as safe as it could considering who they were.

"I've texted you the coordinates. Wake me up when you get back, okay ?" she asked, letting herself drop heavily more than sitting on the bed under Shaw's ironic stare.

"As you wish", the smaller woman shrugged. She grabbed her surveillance equipment and her phone then, before putting her coat on and opening the door.

She cast a glance at Root before she left and found her already fast asleep on the covers, not even having taken the time to get under them. Shaking her head slightly, she locked the door behind her and got out of the hotel. She erased the hacker from her mind as best as she could for now and got back at her old way of working.

First thing to do was finding a car to rent.

* * *

 

Shaw got back to the hotel a few hours later, bored out of her mind and mildly annoyed. The least she could say was that the guy was _boring_. He had a wife and two kids and had spent most of his time either kissing and cuddling and exchanging declarations of love with the former, or playing with his children. She had noticed that his house was quite big and well furnished though, while Root had said that he was only a low-level IT tech. Either France paid really well, or this man had a hidden agenda ; given that Mr Lavaudan was a relevant number, her bet was on the second option.

Shaw looked at the hacker, still fast asleep on the bed – having apparently not moved an inch since she had left – and noticed how peaceful her features looked, devoid of any of the tension that seemed to be constantly lurking at her face and in her eyes lately. She decided she could give Root a bit more of this rest – because she needed the hacker to be at 100% of her abilities, she told herself. She used this time to sort through all the pictures she had taken and only turned her attention back to the hacker once she was done.

"Root, wake up", she said loudly, and sighed in annoyance when it didn't have any effect. Shaw moved closer to the bed and shook her shoulder rather forcefully, even though it was not in a harsh way. "Root, _wake up_ ", she repeated.

"Mmm-hmmm", the hacker only hummed.

Shaw raised her hand, ready to give Root a slap – it was time to resort to drastic measures –, but the latter caught her arm before her hand reached her, her eyes still closed.

"I heard you", she mumbled, letting go before Sameen could pull out of her hold herself.

"Then _get up_ ", Shaw groaned and rolled her eyes, annoyed.

The hacker didn't answer but proceeded to stretch her whole body. She was still lying on the bed, and Shaw swallowed hard when her back arched and all her muscles tensed, remembering other occasions when she had been the reason for such reactions. Root cracked an eye open then, a wicked smile on her face, and Shaw clenched her teeth in annoyance – but she didn't know who she was most annoyed at : Root for putting such a show, or herself for falling for it.

"Guy's living way above his paygrade. Either he inherited a pretty nice amount of money, or he's getting paid for doing something else than his boring job", Shaw said, turning around and moving to lean against the wall.

"Nothing suspicious in his regular accounts, and no inheritance that I could find. I'll do some more digging."

"That'll have to wait. He'll be out with his wife and kids soon, they're all going to see a movie. It's their big family night before the kids leave on a week-long school trip tomorrow morning", Shaw rolled her eyes. "It's also a nice occasion to set up some surveillance equipment in his home, and you can hack into his computer. Maybe we'll learn a bit more that way, because otherwise he's quite the boring type." Sameen looked disgusted at the memory of the soppiness of the afternoon.

"I could do this from here, you know", Root chuckled, "but it will indeed be easier that way." She grabbed a laptop. "Donc allons-y [so let's go]", she did her best to make a convincing wink this time.

"Après toi [after you]", Shaw smirked as she opened the door, and the look on the hacker's face was definitely worth the small teasing.

"Some other talents of you I don't know about yet ?" Root raised her eyebrows.

"None you should know about. Now", Shaw put back her usual annoyed face, "could you hurry up a little ?"

"Sure, Sam", Root purred as she moved towards the door, eyes bored into the other woman's until she couldn't anymore as she got out of the room.

Sameen rolled her eyes and slammed the door in annoyance, but didn't say anything. At least, since the hacker was back in flirtatious mode, Shaw knew that Root felt better and she was glad she wouldn't have to babysit her in addition to handling the mission. If the price to pay for that was a bit of innuendo, it was a good deal, Shaw thought.

She refused to acknowledge that, apart from the fact that her trust in the other woman was mostly gone, she had apparently forgiven the drugging enough to allow their old push-pull dynamic to come back.

And she denied vehemently to herself that it could be because she had started to actually like that game between them.

* * *

 

Breaking into Mr Lavaudan's house was as easy as Shaw had expected it. She was in a rotten mood, after having spent the whole drive muttering complaints about the car being too small – seriously, how did the Europeans live with this ? –, about the traffic being too slow, about the directions being really badly indicated… It had made Root smile, but she had had the decency not to say anything.

Thus now she was having a hard time remembering that they were supposed to leave the house in the exact same state that they had found it, so the number wouldn't become suspicious, and kept catching herself not putting an object back to the exact same spot she had found it.

Root had gone straight for the office, followed only seconds after by Shaw who had first taken the time to analyze the conformation of the house and plan several exit routes, as well as to set up some cameras and microphones on strategic places. The hacker was now typing quickly on a keyboard.

"Find anything interesting ?" the smaller woman asked as she searched the office methodically.

"Patience, Shaw", Root sighed. "We've been here for less than five minutes."

"Yeah well, I thought you were good at that stuff", Shaw muttered, her annoyance finding the hacker as an easy target.

Deciding against starting an argument with the other woman, Root counterattacked instead.

"What about you ?"

"Nothing yet", Shaw groaned. "I don't know what this guy's secret is, but he's good at hiding it."

"Yeah, and the security of his laptop is quite the – ah, never mind, I'm in !"

"Soon enough", the smaller woman commented in a low voice and Root rolled her eyes.

"Wanna try, maybe ?"

Shaw only glared at her and stopped her search to come watch the hacker at work. Root smiled inwardly when the other woman casually put her hand on the back of the chair and leant forward, a habit Shaw had taken some time ago. She did her best to enjoy the closeness and not make anything that could turn it into some kind of tension – Sameen had apparently not noticed that she had put her face way too close to the hacker's to look innocent to an exterior eye, and for once Root had no intention to ruin the moment. Instead, she revelled in it as she inspected Mr Lavaudan's laptop, sifting through the data.

"That's weird", she muttered to herself as she found some encrypted data. A few moments later, as she failed to discover what is was, she added "Considering the incredible level of security of his laptop, either this guy is the worst paranoid ever, or he has some serious stuff to hide."

"Considering he's a relevant number, I'd vote for the second option", Shaw pointed out ironically.

"Funny, Shaw", Root said as she turned her head to the whisper next to her ear – the left, she noticed, pleased that Sameen would stand to her good side – by reflex. Only then did she noticed how close, _really_ close their faces were and she took a sharp intake of breath, her eyes moving automatically to Sameen's lips. Time seemed to slow as her gaze darted back at Shaw's eyes and they stayed like that for a while, breathing the same air. Root wished her heart wouldn't beat so hard then – it sounded deafening to her ears, and she was sure Sameen could hear it too.

Shaw hated her body at this moment. It responded to Root's closeness much more than she would have liked, and she couldn't erase from her mind the thought of leaning in and kissing those lips hard, maybe even biting on the lower one… She knew that she should have backed down immediately because now it would be uncomfortable for her if she did – giving Root proof that _this_ distracted her a lot more than she wished it would – but she hadn't managed to. She found herself in this kind of situations more and more often with Root lately, needing too much time to react so as not to betray her trouble.

So Shaw did the same thing than the previous times this had happened : she waited for Root to ruin the moment and give her an excuse to push her away, except it was taking longer each and every time and thus becoming hard for them both to pretend not to notice how responsive to Root Shaw had become. She cursed herself repeatedly, wondering if she even learned something from the drugging of the week before – but at the same time, she had always liked living dangerously and the hacker was a risk, a liability that she appreciated a bit too much for her own sake.

After what was probably only seconds but felt like hours to her, Shaw realized that Root had apparently decided to let her figure out how to handle the situation on her own this time. It had probably something to do with the rough rejection in the jet, and she wondered if it was some sort of payback or just Root not knowing how to ruin the moment without some physical contact and not wanting to risk triggering the same kind of brutal reaction.

Eventually, Shaw raised her hand to cup the hacker's cheek roughly and leant in slightly, enough to tease but still not enough for Root to dare close the short distance between them. She enjoyed the surprise in her eyes for a second before she let her hand slide to Root's hair. She pulled hard then, making Root's eyes water against her will, and took a step back.

"Don't think I've forgotten", she whispered, and they both knew all too well what she was talking about. Shaw's eyes weren't as cold as she wished they were though, and she knew that the fact that she had not backed away immediately lightened the weight of her words. She let go of Root then and turned around. "I'm going to search the bedroom. Call me if you find anything interesting", she said as she exited the office.

Root breathed in deeply several times, waiting for the pain in her scalp to ease, and got back to her hacking. She copied all the suspicious data she could find on a flash drive – she would need a lot more resources than the ones she had on the laptop she had brought here to crack the encryptions, she knew it ; so the faster they'd go back to the hotel with her whole equipment, the better.

Once she was done, she switched off Mr Lavaudan's laptop and carefully placed it back where she had found it. She met up with Shaw in the hallway.

"Nothing useful here", the latter groaned when she noticed Root coming her way.

"Well, I've found enough stuff to keep me occupied a while…"

"Why did you need me to come along again ?" Shaw sighed, annoyed. "Bore me to death ? Because it's working !"

"You'll get to do the action part later", Root smiled fondly. "Just let me figure out when, where and more importantly why first."

"Well do it _fast_ ", Shaw groaned as they got out of the house the way they came in. She locked the door again, and once they were back in their rented car it was as if they had never been there.

The drive back to the hotel was roughly the same than the outward journey – a lot of swearing on Shaw's part, a lot of amusement on Root's. The latter also kept glancing at Sameen, wanting nothing more than to touch her. As she remembered the awkward moment from earlier she wondered if she hadn't imposed herself a torture session with this mission, having Shaw back at being so physically distant when Root craved for some contact again. It was taking her all her will not to try again and the idea of having to do this constantly for a few days left her exhausted already.

Once they were back in their room, Shaw settled on the bed to clean her guns as a way to calm down and occupy herself while Root started trying to decipher the data she had discovered in Mr Lavaudan's laptop. Her equipment didn't have as much power as she would have liked and it was taking longer than usual. She missed Harold's system back in New York.

Silence hung between them for a while before Shaw snapped and let out what she had been thinking all along, but even more so since she had found herself useless in Mr Lavaudan's house.

"Setting up this mission to get me out of the goddamn subway station was stupid at best", she let out angrily, stopping cleaning her fourth gun and setting it aside in a fit of temper.

Root sighed. She didn't want to lie to Shaw, she never blatantly did anyway, but the truth had too many implications to admit it. She settled for a compromise.

"I didn't _set this up_ for you, it could be useful for –"

"Spare me your lies, Root", Shaw spat angrily.

The hacker closed her eyes and bit on her lower lip. She took two seconds to hide her trouble, then she typed some instructions to make a deciphering program run by itself for a while and turned around, pushing herself away from the desk and letting the chair on castors lead her next to the bed where she sat. She bore her eyes into Shaw's.

"I'm not letting you sacrifice yourself out of boredom." She was absently shaking her head slightly as she spoke, as if she was trying to give more weight to her refusal. "We're already not many, we can't afford losing one of us." _'Especially not you'_ , Root's mind added but she kept her mouth shut, unable to get the words out and knowing Shaw didn't want to hear them anyway. She hoped her voice hadn't broken too much on these two sentences, trying as best as she could to hide how much the idea of Sameen dying hurt her inside.

Shaw didn't even try to deny she would have eventually left and tried to take as many Decima agents with her as she could have. She knew Root wouldn't believe her anyway, and she had no intention to lie in the first place.

"I can handle myself", she said instead as she didn't find what to answer.

Root didn't say anything but her eyes spoke loudly. Shaw didn't want to think back about how unlike herself she had acted after her cover had been blown though, not willing to analyze her reactions and find out why exactly she had almost gotten everybody killed. She grunted threateningly, focusing on Root's betrayal instead, fuelling her anger to help her forget about any other thing that looked like feelings. The hacker apparently noticed the shift of focus despite the silence because suddenly the hurt and sadness in her eyes deepened, but Shaw didn't want to think about the fact that maybe Root had hated having to drug her as much as she had and she tried to find a way to end this conversation quickly. Unfortunately, the hacker didn't give her enough time to change the subject.

"I'm sorry, but you didn't give me another choice", she whispered and she didn't have to explain what she was talking about.

"Shut up", Shaw growled lowly, threateningly but Root ignored her.

"Sameen, I –"

"I said _shut up_."

There were so many things dancing in Root's eyes as she tried to keep her next words to herself and Shaw hated this, hated these _feelings_ that she could see there and sure as hell didn't want to try to interpret. She only knew that she wanted to wipe them all away, wanted to do _anything_ to stop looking into those watering eyes at the moment, so lost and so tired and so unlike Root that they were making Sameen's own chest hurt.

She found out she couldn't turn away though, no matter how much she wanted to – so she did she only thing she could think of to efficiently shut Root up : she leant forward, crashing their lips together and digging her nails into the hacker's back to pull her closer. She drew red lines in her touch, wanting to make her bleed and scream and _hurt_ as much as her betrayal had hurt Shaw's pride and trust even if it was justified. Root revelled in it, pressing her body harder against Sameen's hands, the pain grounding her to the reality and forcing her mind to empty. She got lost in it as she tangled her fingers in Shaw's hair, finally getting the contact she so desperately wanted. She pulled her ever so closer, wishing she could never let her go, and much to Root surprise Sameen let herself be dragged forward.

The kisses were messy and rough, a war of dominance with teeth colliding and biting regularly, and soon Root let herself fall back on the mattress, dragging Shaw forward with her. Red lines were already covering both of their bodies ; seconds later Sameen's tank top got thrown to the side somewhere to grant Root better access. Shaw straddled the other woman, pinning her against the bed. She started kissing roughly and biting along the hacker's neck, appreciating the way Root arched her back to press their bodies together as she let out a small whimper.

Sameen helped her get rid of her tee-shirt when Root's smell became too invading ; both of their bras followed soon and Shaw got back to kissing the hacker as she dragged her nails powerfully along the other woman's abdomen. She started struggling with her belt then, desire eventually winning her over. At this moment, it was as much about forgetting about their conversation than about marking Root and making her pay than about giving in once more to the tension that had always existed between them and had only kept growing with time.

Eventually Shaw managed to get rid of Root's pants, dragging her underwear along, and found her as wet as she had expected. She didn't lose time in teasing and it was a matter of some short minutes before Root came undone under her, her dilated pupils not showing any sign of the sadness of earlier and Shaw was relieved, wishing she would never see it ever again in Root's eyes and knowing all too well that she wouldn't have that chance.

Her mind started to wander about, trying to find out how exactly she had come from being wary of any physical contact from Root after her betrayal to lying next to her on this bed in the course of a day and she realized that she didn't want to know, that these thoughts were nothing else than dangerous territory. She leant in to kiss Root roughly again, letting desire take control of her body and of her mind because at this moment Shaw wanted nothing more than to _forget_ about what she was doing and worse, why she was doing it. She let Root shove her pants out of the way and concentrated on the sensations in her body, wishing she couldn't feel the tenderness in every one of the hacker's moves, so obvious for her even if Root was trying as hard as she could to hide it for Sameen's sake. She started grinding harder against the other woman's hand, demanding more and Root complied immediately.

Shaw closed her eyes before she risked making eye contact with the hacker, knowing all too well what she would find in her gaze. She dug her nails deeper into Root's back, wanting to draw blood. She didn't know if she succeeded as she came suddenly, muscles tensing and leaving her exhausted as they finally relaxed. The tiredness that her short nap of the morning had only temporarily pushed aside came back all at once and she gave in, having nothing better to do anyway, trying to forget about the fact that she was in the _bed_ with _Root_ lying next to her, all of this going against every principle of hers.

She pretended not to notice the hacker's arm hesitatingly, almost shyly, coming to rest on her abdomen as she drifted away into sleep.

* * *

 

Much to her surprise, Root woke up first the next morning. She opened her eyes and took in the sight of Sameen, lying naked next to her under the covers. She didn't remember exactly when the both of them had ended up _under_ them rather than _over_ them, last night's memories being a bit blurry in her confused mind. She hadn't seen the kiss and everything that had followed coming, and was still wondering what had gone through Shaw's mind. Some moments were very vivid in Root's head, such as her apology, Sameen's first kiss, her delight at the feeling of her fingers curling up in the other woman once more, the way Shaw had fallen asleep first next to her… But most of her memories were lost in a mix of wonder, lack of understanding, pleasure and desire not to think too much.

Root didn't move for a while ; she just watched Sameen sleep, a sight she could never get tired of. A genuinely loving smile was tugging at her lips ; eventually she forced herself to move before Shaw could wake up and see her with such an expression on her face, figuring it wouldn't bring anything good. She became aware of her arm still resting on Sameen's abdomen then and removed it reluctantly. Getting out of bed carefully and putting her clothes back on, she went to take a look at the results of the deciphering program she had launched the previous day. They were encouraging even if there were still some other levels of encryption to break and Root got on it, hoping she'd get useful results by the time Shaw awoke – she had no intention to wake her up since she looked like she really needed the rest. Root also had no idea how they'd both react after last night happened and figured concentrating back on the mission would be a nice distraction.

Half an hour later, she was amazed at just how good the level of encryption was. She was starting to see the end of it for a set of data though. Glancing at Shaw, she smiled at just how stubborn the other woman could be. Refusing to sleep in the jet and taking only a short nap the morning after had apparently left her exhausted enough to sleep way longer than usual – even Root had woken up first ! At the same time, the hacker wasn't used to sleeping longer than three or four hours in a row lately and last night had been a luxury she had gladly welcomed. She now felt a lot better and figured it had to do with how and where she had fallen asleep as much as with the rest the night had brought her. She tried not to read too much into the way Sameen had been initiating sex though, unwilling to set her hopes too high and get hurt once more.

Her trail of thoughts was interrupted as she finally gained access to a first set of data. As if Shaw had waited for this to wake up, Root heard her stir behind her. She fought the urge to call Sameen 'sleepyhead' or 'sleeping beauty' – besides, she had only slept eight hours after all – and decided to stay simple and neutral instead.

"Guy may work as a low-level IT tech, but he's a damn good hacker. One who works for a Russian agency and is doing cyber-espionage for them, as far as I can tell. If I'm not mistaken, his role is to find sensitive data about France and the USA's relations for Russia to use."

"And what's the link to Samaritan ?" Sameen asked, making Root startle. She hadn't heard the other woman getting up and coming closer to the desk.

"I haven't figured that out yet, I just decrypted the first set of data", the hacker admitted with a little tilt of the head as she kept typing on her keyboard. "I don't know what the threat is either, for that matter. He seems to have been doing this for years, I don't know what changed and made him a relevant number."

"Then I guess we'll have to be his shadow until we at least figure out if he's the perpetrator or the victim", Shaw shrugged.

"There's just a little problem what that", Root sighed. "I don't have time to create us some solid fake IDs to get access to the building he works in _and_ keep working on these data at the same time", she added as she finally turned around to face Sameen. She blinked twice then and her eyes wandered against her will as she realized that Shaw had barely taken time to put a tank top and her underwear on. Just like every other time she had seen so much of the other woman's skin revealed like this, her breath caught in her throat and she noticed Shaw smirking at her reaction. She forced her eyes to snap back up. "That means", Root breathed out, "either you manage to get into the building in a more old school way while I keep doing some hacking here, or we'll have to wait for him to get out of work."

"Let's go for old school then", Sameen smiled and it looked predatory.

"Careful, Shaw", Root couldn't help but answer. "Keep it smooth. We don't know just how far Samaritan's grip has settled into France and I'd prefer you didn't draw attention on us."

Shaw rolled her eyes as she turned around and headed to the bathroom to take a shower.

"I know how to blend in. I've been an ISA agent once, remember ?" she said ironically.

"You seem to forget that I read your file", Root pointed out with the same tone. "Apparently, you were the only agent who preferred to _detonate_ bombs instead of simply _disarming_ them. I wouldn't exactly call that discretion !" she added, raising her voice to reach Shaw through the door of the bathroom that she had just closed.

"Whatever", Root hardly heard Sameen mutter and she chuckled once. Shaking her head, she took on a new set of data that looked like emails. She was hoping that they'd reveal some recent information and subsequently the reason why they were there.

She was cursing after her lack of equipment when Shaw got out of the bathroom. She didn't look as Sameen got dressed and gathered the stuff she'd possibly need to get into the Elysée, too concentrated on what she was doing. She barely heard the door of the room open and flinched when the other woman spoke almost a minute later, expecting her to be out of the hotel already.

"I meant it, yesterday. I haven't forgotten." Shaw's voice came out way softer than the words had sounded in her mind and she hated it. "But I also know that…" She took a deep breath, hating having to admit what she was about to and at the same time knowing that, at some point, she'd have to be honest with herself as well as with Root, because she had had the drugging coming when she had started putting everyone at risk. "You made the right call the other day", she added. She crossed the threshold then, and the last thing she saw before she closed the door was Root turning around quickly on her chair, a surprised look on her face.

* * *

 

It took Root a few minutes to recover from her surprise. She had a hard time following Shaw's trail of thoughts lately ; first with her reaction after her cover had been blown, so unlike herself – a lot more like John, she realized then, always going blindly ahead without a thought for his cover lately when Harold wasn't there to reason with him –, now this… Root had expected the rejection after the drugging, but not that thing that looked like partial forgiveness so little time afterwards. She didn't have time to dwell on it though and forced herself to get back at the deciphering.

Her next distraction came hours later, hours she hadn't seen passing by, in the form of a text from Shaw.

_'He works during mornings only on Mondays apparently, he's already going back home. Did you find more intel ?'_

_'Nothing useful yet.'_ Root answered and sighed, massaging her neck to ease the pain in her sore muscles. So far, the content of all the emails she had decrypted had absolutely no link to Samaritan.

A few minutes later, another text came in.

_'In the end he told his wife to meet him "au Baudelaire". Can you find the coordinates ?'_

Root smirked at the implications in the text and couldn't help but tease Sameen a bit.

_'Why, did you lose his trail ?'_

She didn't need to be anywhere near Shaw to know that she was probably grunting in annoyance and slamming the wheel at the moment.

_'I don't have all day, Root.'_

She took a quick look at the position of the GPS of Mr Lavaudan's phone on one of her screens and noted the direction he was taking. A cross-referenced search on Google with the name 'Baudelaire' and a bit of thinking offered her all the information she needed. Smirking, she typed her next text to Shaw.

_'6 rue Duphot, 1 st district. I'll meet you there.' _A few seconds later, she added _'How do you feel about French gastronomy ?'_

Her own stomach growled in approbation and she realized she had eaten nothing since the salad in the jet, unlike Shaw who had probably stopped at a fast-food on her way to watching Mr Lavaudan at some point.

Her text didn't get an answer, but she didn't need one. She already knew anyway.

* * *

 

Root got to the restaurant first. Thankfully, since it was lunch during the week and not dinner on the weekend, there were still tables free even without a reservation. She took a seat in a corner of the room from where she had a clear view on the happy couple. It was less well-lit than the rest of the room, thus partially dissimulating her face.

Shaw arrived about ten minutes later, obviously annoyed when she found out the hacker was already there.

"How was your drive ?" Root asked innocently.

"Fucking red lights !" Shaw growled in answer, a bit too loud to their closest neighbors' taste who cast them a disapproving glance.

"Don't worry, you didn't miss anything."

Sameen moved her chair to have the couple in her line of sight too.

"As soppy as ever", she rolled her eyes in disgust. Root didn't answer and Shaw's mind processed some other information her eyes were sending. Most of the tables were occupied by couples only and the décor was quite romantically oriented. "Wait", she hissed through gritted teeth, "is this what I think it is ?!"

Root noticed Sameen's fist closing around the knife's handle and couldn't repress a smirk.

"I'm gonna kill you", Shaw added, her voice low and threatening. "You told me this was a gastronomic restaurant."

"Technically, it is", Root answered cheerfully. "It just happens to be a romantic restaurant at the same time."

She swore she could almost see smoke going out of Shaw's nostrils as she breathed out slowly, trying to stay calm and not bring some unwanted attention on them.

"I'm not on a _fucking date_ with you, Root. What are you even doing here ?!" she asked, succeeding in the difficult exercise consisting in yelling in a whisper.

"Well, I was hungry", Root shrugged slightly. "And it would have been a shame to miss out on an occasion to try some French gastronomy again, don't you think ?"

The glare Shaw was shooting her was venomous but it didn't bother Root the least bit. She noticed a waiter coming their way as the other woman opened her mouth to answer, thus preventing Sameen from giving her a bit of her mind.

"Avez-vous fait votre choix, mesdemoiselles ? [Did you make your choice ?]"

Root suddenly remembered about the menu he had put in front of her earlier as she had refused to have an aperitif and realized she hadn't even taken a look at it, so she settled for the easiest thing to say.

"Je prendrai la spécialité du chef, s'il vous plaît [I'll take the chef's speciality, please]." She offered the waiter a charming smile.

"Pareil pour moi [Same for me]", Shaw grumbled several seconds later, not giving a damn about politeness.

Root's smile turned apologetic as the waiter turned on his heel, trying his best to stay professional but still obviously outraged by Shaw's attitude.

"You're going to pay for this", the latter warned once the waiter had disappeared among the tables. Root's smile only turned wider and Sameen rolled her eyes so hard the hacker thought they could stay stuck that way. "Not like – oh fuck you Root, I'm not in the mood for one of your little games right now." She massaged her temples to help her calm down, wondering how she would make it through this lunch alive.

She realized the mistake in her choice of words too late.

"Whenever you want, _Sam_." Root insisted on the name, giving it as much meaning as she could, her voice low and dripping with innuendo. She knew she was pushing her luck, but she couldn't seem to care at the moment. After all, Sameen had stopped being truly annoyed at this kind of teasing a while ago now.

Shaw indeed couldn't find it in her to be totally bothered by Root's lines. On the contrary, a part of her was relieved to see the hacker being back to her old (annoying, certainly, but also a sign of Root's well-being) self. She hated her body once more for the way it betrayed her and reacted at the other woman's implications though, a shiver running down her spine at the hacker's tone.

"Whatever", she shook her head and it irked her to realize just how often her conversations with the hacker seemed to leave her with no retort left lately.

They watched the number in silence, with a lot of eye rolling on Shaw's part at just how well they fitted in the romantic atmosphere of the restaurant, until the waiter came back with their starter. Sameen took advantage of the moment to order some expensive wine on Root's tab, and then tackled her plate with enthusiasm. She tried to ignore the hacker's warm gaze on her but didn't succeed as well as she would have liked. It didn't prevent her from fully enjoying the moment though.

They ate the main course and the dessert in silence too, casting a glance at Mr Lavaudan and his wife from time to time. There was at least one reason why Sameen was glad that they were taking their sweet time in the restaurant : it allowed her to eat and appreciate the food as much as she wanted to. In the end Root had apparently decided to let her enjoy her meal in peace too and she kept her mouth shut the entire time, much to Shaw's pleasure.

Once they were done, the hacker paid the tab and they got out of the restaurant. They didn't stay for longer than necessary so as not to draw unwanted attention on them.

"So, was it that bad ?" Root smiled as they headed to the rented car, but Sameen could hear the tension underlain in her words.

"Could've been worse", she settled on grumbling with a shrug.

They got in the car and Shaw rolled her eyes with a little shake of the head as she noticed that Root's grin had turned wider. "Don't get used to this", she warned immediately – without any substantial effect though. "And don't you have some data to decrypt ?" she asked, letting annoyance seep into her voice as she saw Root open the passenger door.

"The program is running on itself for now. It should end in –" Root took a look at her watch. "Well, I have about half an hour left before I need to get back", she said gleefully.

_'Let's hope the lovebirds get out earlier than this'_ , Shaw thought but kept her mouth shut. Fortunately, Root did the same and they watched the restaurant in silence for about ten minutes before they noticed Mr Lavaudan and his wife coming out of the door.

"Finally", Sameen grumbled as she started the engine.

They stopped after a few steps though and Shaw turned her earpiece on, listening to their conversation through the phone of Mr Lavaudan – she had cloned it the previous day.

_"Mince, chérie, je crois que j'ai oublié ma veste à l'intérieur !_ _[Darn it, honey, I think I've forgotten my jacket inside !]"_

_"Retourne la chercher, je t'attends dans la voiture._ _[Go back and look for it, I'll wait for you in the car.]"_

He turned around and pushed the restaurant's door again while his wife headed to their car.

The explosion as she pulled the door open caught them all by surprise. Root and Shaw both flinched and stayed dumbfounded for a few seconds before they rushed out of their car. It was unfortunately way too late and they realized it as soon as they saw how badly burned the body of the number's wife was.

Mr Lavaudan had turned around and gotten out of the restaurant again at the sound of the explosion. Once he saw the scene, he knew immediately that there was nothing he could do. Forcing the tears to stay in his body for now, he ran away as fast as he could in the other direction, getting rid of his cell phone in a trash can nearby and rushing into a subway station.

Shaw had been the first one to notice him fleeing the scene and had run after him. She hurtled along down the stairs, crossed the automatic gates with difficulty while staying close on someone else's heels, lost a few precious seconds figuring out which way the number had gone and eventually located him thanks to the outraged screams of people he had knocked down. She ran through several corridors and flights of stairs, but unfortunately arrived too late and saw the subway getting away from the platform when she turned at the last corner.

"FUCK", she cursed out loud.

_"I'm going back to the hotel. We need to find out who just made an attempt on our number's life, and fast"_ , Root said in her earpiece.

"He ditched his phone", Shaw answered through gritted teeth, "and the subway just left. I have no way to follow him now. I'm coming back with you."

_"I'm waiting for you outside."_

Shaw turned around and went back the way she had come. Neither she nor Root said a word as she got into the passenger seat, as unusual as this was. They stayed lost in their thoughts during the whole drive back to the hotel, thinking of how they failed to protect an – as far as they could tell – innocent woman.

* * *

 

The first thing Root did when they got into their room was hacking into the surveillance system of the first district of Paris. Unfortunately, it was a lot less developed than the one of New York and she could find no camera that had an angle on the Baudelaire. Shaw, idle, started cleaning her guns again. It gave her the illusion to do something and at least kept her hands occupied.

Root put an alert on both Mr Lavaudan's main and secret email addresses. She could think of no other way to track him since his kids were out of the country on a school trip at this time, and hoped he'd try and contact someone after what had happened. She got back to deciphering the mails and other data then, and three hours passed by before she found something interesting.

She froze when she realized what was going on.

"Root ?" Shaw frowned when she saw the other woman's reaction.

The hacker typed several instructions on her keyboard before she turned around and answered.

"The latest information this guy discovered is indeed Samaritan-related. He figured out that about six months ago, _something_ started to pull strings to change the outcome of the next presidential election in France. Apparently he doesn't know what's going on exactly, but he seemed to come up with the assessment that it was huge enough for him to take a big risk. In fact he's so good at what he does that several Chinese agencies have taken an interest in him and have wanted to lure him into working for them for several months now. So he tried to double-cross the Russians, hoping he'd get a lot more money out of this deal." She took a deep breath before she added. "But we can't let him reveal this. To anyone."

"So the hit was probably the Russians' doing", Shaw started to think out loud. "They must have figured out he contacted the Chinese. What I fail to see though is why the information he discovered have to stay hidden", she frowned again. "Wouldn't it be a good thing to expose Samaritan's doing and prevent it from getting control over France ?"

"No", Root shook her head. "Samaritan has no moral compass. If a foreign country revealed what it's been doing, it wouldn't care about the number of lives it'd have to end to hush up the scandal – or about collateral damage, for that matter. It would be equivalent to starting an international underground war. And we can't let that happen."

"Okay", Shaw nodded slowly. "Can you delete the data ?"

"Yes", Root sighed, "but he has probably a copy on a flash drive somewhere. And he'll use it to make a bargain with the Chinese. It's the only way he'll save his own ass now. I've put an alert on the email account he uses to communicate with his Chinese contact too now that I know what it is. I just hope we can stop him before it's too late."

* * *

 

About another hour later, the alert notified Root about some activity on Mr Lavaudan's Chinese-related email address. She started tracing the IP address from where the mail had been sent and got redirected through several proxy servers, but eventually managed to find the address of a cybercafe. She sent the coordinates to Shaw, who had rushed down the stairs and into the car as soon as she had heard the alert.

Root knew that Mr Lavaudan had probably left right after he had sent the mail, but she hoped she could spot him thanks to some surveillance cameras. There weren't any in the cybercafe, but several main roads around were equipped and she launched a facial recognition software, hoping to get a result. At the same time, she started deciphering the email he had sent the Chinese, an easier task now that she was familiar with his encryption techniques. Besides, the lack of time and the panic had made him sloppier than usual and there were only three levels of encryption, which allowed Root to crack them in a matter of minutes.

"I know where the meeting is", she breathed out. "You're not far from it. I'm texting you the coordinates."

_"Copy that"_ , Shaw answered through her earpiece.

She got to the square where the exchange – she supposed it was an exchange – would be made in a matter of minutes and parked her car before she did some recon work on foot. She spotted Mr Lavaudan who looked extremely nervous – given the situation it wasn't surprising –, but the Chinese hadn't arrived yet. The meeting place had been chosen well, she had to give him that. A lot of people were constantly crossing the square or sitting on some benches, highly complicating the possibility of an ambush. From where he was standing Mr Lavaudan had a clear view on anyone approaching him, and Shaw had spotted four exit routes already. The guy was _really_ good – but at the same time, you didn't last long on this job otherwise.

She considered trying to use her pickpocket skills for a second but forgot about it immediately since she had no idea where he was hiding the flash drive. Talking to him was out of the equation too since he probably wouldn't listen, desperate as he was, and the only consequence would be revealing her existence. So she resigned to wait until she saw the flash drive to make a move.

The problem with the crowded space was that it prevented Shaw from using a gun freely and she really didn't like it. She settled on the bench the closest to the number from where she could watch him as discreetly as possible without looking suspicious and got her main piece out, hiding it under her coat. Then she waited.

The Chinese showed up almost half an hour later, easily recognizable as they walked across the square. There were three of them and one was holding a suitcase. Shaw could only guess what it contained : money, a new identity for him and his children… They exchanged only brief sentences before Mr Lavaudan extracted the flash drive from the inside pocket of his jacket. Shaw got up, ready to intervene. Except nothing went as planned.

She heard two shots fired almost at the same time and the two Chinese who didn't hold anything fell to the ground, a bullet in their head.

_"Shaw ?!"_ Root's voice was alarmed in her ear.

"Russians, I suppose", she only answered through gritted teeth and looked in the direction from where the shots had been fired. She spotted two people with guns out, both of them next to the corner of a street. Shaw guessed they had probably arrived earlier, just like her, and had stayed hidden around the corners of two potential exit routes until the meeting. Fortunately there were only two Russians, so they couldn't have covered the four exit routes.

She jumped on the bench where she had been seated only seconds ago and realized she had a clean shot for only one of the Russians, the other one being surrounded by panicking civilians. She fired once, hitting said Russian in the center mass – she didn't really have the time to aim for kneecaps. The other one took cover while the square was now massively fled by a screaming crowd.

Shaw took a look at the number and the last Chinese – he had a gun out now but didn't quite know where to shoot – who had hidden behind a statue once the moment of stupor had vanished. They hadn't noticed her yet and she used the occasion to shoot at the Chinese – in the kneecap this time, having no civilian in her line of fire and being closer to her target. The second Russian was nowhere to be seen so she ran to Mr Lavaudan, who was now trembling in fear. From the look on his face, Shaw guessed he had never seen a gun in his life, much less been in a shooting. The Chinese was whimpering on the floor, holding his bleeding knee, and had let the suitcase and his gun fall. She picked them up.

"You're dealing with me now", she told the number without looking at him, her eyes scanning the square to try and get a sight of the last Russian. She was pointing a gun at him though, and it was more than enough. "Do you have another copy of what's in your flash drive ?"

"In… In my laptop", Mr Lavaudan stuttered and shuddered, eyes locked on the gun, his whole body trembling.

"That's been taken care of", Shaw answered. Root had told her something that vaguely sounded like _'hacking wifi several formatting distance'_ earlier but she had not fully understood it and, truth be told, not really paid attention either. The only thing that she had gotten out of it was that the laptop wouldn't be a problem anymore. "Somewhere else ?"

"N… No", he said and he looked so terrorized that Shaw had no doubts he was telling the truth.

"Good. So now let me tell you how this is going to work. You give me the flash drive, I give you the suitcase and you get the hell out of this city. Pick up your children, start a new life somewhere else and make sure I never hear about you again, or I won't be that nice", she threatened. "Understood ?"

"Y… Yes."

Shaw kept herself from rolling her eyes at the sight of the trembling man and extended her arm which was holding the gun a bit more. Mr Lavaudan carefully handed her the flash drive and she slid it in one of her pockets, zipping it to make sure its content wouldn't get out. She gave him the suitcase then and he held on to it as if it was his lifeline – and it was, in a way, but at the moment it couldn't help him get out of the square nor protect him from a potential bullet in the head.

"So how… How are we getting out of here ?" the number dared to ask.

"Working on it", she growled in answer.

Sameen noticed something at the corner of her eye then and she turned around slightly, but not enough to give away the fact that she knew which street the last Russian had moved to.

"I'm going to count to three. At three, you run to this street", she indicated a street perpendicular to the one she had spotted the Russian in with a small nod.

"But –"

"No 'but'. One… Two… Three."

Giving up on understanding her plan, the number started running to the street Shaw had indicated as fast as he could. The Russian had to turn the corner to take the shot and he was counting on the element of surprise to take them both out. Unfortunately for him, Shaw _had_ spotted him and as soon as she noticed him moving, she turned and shot. He collapsed onto the ground without a sound.

Shaw hoped neither the Russians nor the Chinese had brought some backup then. She doubted they had though : the meeting had been prepared hurriedly and if backup there had been, they would have probably shown up by now. Without a look for her fleeing number, she shoved the guns into her waistband and headed to her car without encountering any difficulty – the police had to have been informed by now, but by the time they'd get there Sameen would be long gone.

_"Shaw, what's your status ?"_

She realized that, in the heat of the moment, she had totally forgotten that her line with Root had stayed open.

"Flash drive secure. I'm coming back", she answered as she started the engine and cut the communication, a smile that kept turning wider on her face. Her forced confinement in New York and her boredom since they had landed – the previous day, she realized, they had been in France for only two days – had left her itching for some action and damn ! The mission had eventually delivered it. It put her in a good mood and she felt better than she had been in days.

Her drive back was uneventful. She stopped to return the rented car and ran up to the hotel – which caused people in the street to look at her weirdly, but she couldn't have cared less. The sun had fully set by now and, as usual, she regretted there were so many artificial lights surrounding her. She would have preferred the darkness.

She opened the door of the hotel room to find Root finishing packing up her equipment.

"Did you have fun ?" the hacker smirked, knowing full well the answer.

"Felt good", Shaw answered truthfully as she handed the flash drive over to Root. The latter took it and slid it into the side pocket of one of her bags. "You're not destroying it ?" Sameen frowned.

"It could always turn out to be useful to us. You never know", she shrugged as the closed the last zipper. A few seconds of silence ticked by before Root spoke again. "I've called the airport. Our jet leaves tomorrow morning", she said softly. She didn't need to say more, they had both understood what it meant.

It was their last night safe for a while – if not forever if they got killed in the war against Samaritan.

"You should stay here", Root added, staring down and worrying at her lip, not daring to look at Shaw directly as she spoke. "It's a lot safer than in New York where every Samaritan agent is probably looking for you now."

Shaw looked at the hacker carefully. She had crossed her arms tightly over her chest by reflex and looked so small, lost and hurt no matter how hard she tried to hide it. Sameen forced the annoyance that had replaced her good mood at Root's words out of her voice, unwilling to add something else to the weight the other woman seemed to constantly have on her shoulders since the war against Samaritan had started – weight that had seemed to lighten during their small stay in France, but that was back in full force now.

"I don't need you to protect me, Root."

_'And I'll do it anyway, no matter the cost'_ , the latter thought sadly, but didn't voice it over. "I know", she said instead.

Silence settled between them for a while, but it wasn't uncomfortable. Eventually, Shaw was the one to break it.

"Last night here, huh ?" she said, a small smile tugging at her lips.

The hacker finally looked up to meet the other woman's gaze and what she saw there warmed her heart. Sameen always talked through cryptic words – Root remembered the _'full decontamination… this could take all night'_ line as if it had happened only the previous day – but when she allowed them to, her eyes spoke way much and way louder, expressing just how much she did care in her own way.

"Last quiet night", Root agreed, a genuine smile on her face at what Shaw's four words had implied. "We should put it to good use."

Sameen's lips on hers was the only answer she needed and Root kissed her back forcefully, almost desperately, as she let Shaw guide her to the bed and push her down on it. Their night didn't involve much sleep and if Sameen was softer than usual, neither one of them commented on it the following morning.

As they got into the taxi that would take them to the airport, Shaw caught herself wishing this night wouldn't turn out to be their last and sighed softly.

So much for being wary of Root after the drugging episode.

And so much for her three nights rule.


End file.
